


Sweet Dreams (or How Regina Mills Deals With Gay Thoughts)

by orphan_account



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Bisexual Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan Fluff, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan Smut, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Smut, Idiots in Love, Slow Build Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, but kinda useless when it comes to emma fjkdsl;fjf, gay pining, shes literally a bicon, theyre just
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:27:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25553563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: -------------------------Regina was settling into her fourth glass of cider when the knock came, and instinctively knew who it was—(who the hell else would go to the effort to annoy her at this hour?) She considered ignoring it, as facing Emma in this half-drunken state probably wouldn’t end well for her, but the logical part of her mind had been softened by the alcohol and a sense of curiosity. The brunette set her glass down on the nearby coffee table and rose from the couch. She walked over to the door, straightening her blouse with perfectly manicured hands. Glancing at her reflection in the entryway mirror and deeming it satisfactory, she then flung the door open.“Miss Swan, what could you possibly want at this hour?”-------------------------Regina Mills wakes up from a strange dream where she was making out with her sort-of rival, Emma Swan. Determined to rid herself of these thoughts, she goes to Archie Hopper for help.Gay pining within.
Relationships: Aurora/Mulan (Once Upon a Time), Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Henry Mills, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, Henry Mills & Emma Swan, Prince Charming | David Nolan/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard
Comments: 5
Kudos: 111





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I'd like to preface this by saying that this fic isn't canon compliant. It doesn't really fit into the OUAT timeline but I'm too lazy to flesh out an entire AU, but yknow what this is mostly for fun so it's fine probably. 
> 
> I'm planning on posting every week (if not more often). Every chapter will have 1k-ish words. There will definitely be more than 5 chapters, but I'm not exactly sure how many more so I'll just leave that number for now.
> 
> I would also like to thank Tyler and the rest of the Raymond cult,,,, yall are the best <3 i hope you never find this fic tho lmao  
> thank you for giving me motivation to write and listening to my rants about these ladies even though you're not in the fandom <3 <3 <3
> 
> \--toad

Emma Swan was knocking on the mayor of Storybrooke’s door. This was only unusual in the fact that it was nearly 2:30 am. The former bonds(wo)man preferred to deal with Her Majesty’s bullshit during work hours only, thank you very much. Their dynamic was one of spiteful glances and slyly thrown insults, and while it was thrilling to get on each other’s nerves, it was late, and Regina didn’t have much energy to spare for their usual banter.

She was settling into her fourth glass of cider when the knock came, and instinctively knew who it was—(who the hell else would go to the effort to annoy her at this hour?) She considered ignoring it, as facing Emma in this half-drunken state probably wouldn’t end well for her, but the logical part of her mind had been softened by the alcohol and a sense of curiosity. The brunette set her glass down on the nearby coffee table and rose from the couch. She walked over to the door, straightening her blouse with perfectly manicured hands. Glancing at her reflection in the entryway mirror and deeming it satisfactory, she then flung the door open.

“Miss Swan, what could you possibly want at this hour?”

A beat passed before the blonde raised her eyes to Regina’s, withdrawing her hands from her jean pockets and taking a step closer. Regina felt her pulse increase as Emma’s eyes bore into hers for what must have been only a few seconds, but felt like years. She repressed the urge to push her away and slam the door; she didn’t quite understand the way Emma was looking at her, and Regina did not like things she couldn’t understand. Like for example, why Emma’s arrival in town had tangled her life into millions of confusing threads that burned through her mind and drew out an intense hatred that she hadn’t—

_Shit._

She had managed to get worked up, and Emma hadn’t even said a word. Regina internally cursed herself for drinking so late and plastered a neutral face for her adversary, who was smirking at her, eyes reflecting the warm glow of the porch lights.

“You.” She breathed out, leaning further into Regina’s space. A chill washed over her. She felt her stomach recoil and her mind reel as she remembered the dream in which Emma had said the very same words, and had rendered her helpless as she watched that apple rot and wither in her hands.

Her train of thought was interrupted by Emma’s presence; she was so close that the brunette could smell her perfume (a blend of what seemed to be pine and some sort of flower which she couldn’t recall the name of). Regina’s brain short-circuited as she felt Emma’s body heat radiating off of her. Suddenly their surroundings were spinning and she was so close…

Regina felt herself leaning in before she could even comprehend what she was doing, raising her arms to grip Emma’s leather clad shoulders for balance. Her mind became a haze as the gentle brush of the blonde’s lips crossed her own, drawing her in and gently caressing her. Emma wrapped her hands around the back of Regina’s neck, pulling her further into the kiss and cupping her jaw with calloused fingers, stroking Regina’s already-flushed skin. She felt herself melt into Emma’s hands and mouth, warmth settling between them like honey.

There was no way Regina would be able to pull away soon, she felt herself at the edge of falling too far into this intoxicating gravity. Her brain screamed at her to stop, so she gathered what was left of her willpower and ripped herself away from Emma’s embrace. Breathless, she gasped sharply, searching for air and some semblance of control. _I definitely DID NOT ENJOY THAT,_ she told herself, shutting her eyes as her heart pounded wildly in her chest. _God, what was I thinking?_

She brought her hands up to her temples, feeling a headache coming on. _Obviously, I wasn’t,_ she chided herself, once again cursing the alcohol and her own stupidity, but most of all this aggravating woman standing on her porch—her weakness, her sort-of-rival, her son’s _mother_ , who she had just spontaneously lip- locked.

Great.

_Work tomorrow will be a joy_ , she thought dryly, daring to make the tiniest eye contact with the woman in question.

She braced herself to find embarrassment, maybe confusion, even indifference on her face, but instead found something else.

Emma's eyes were hooded slightly, still reflecting the porch lights, but were also laced with another brightness that made Regina’s breath stick in her throat and her composure crack. Her eyes flicked down to stare at her lips, which were slightly parted and swollen with attention. Regina bit her own lip, suppressing the inexplicable urge to say fuckall throw herself at Emma. Suddenly feeling very sober with the realization of her own desire, she turned to close the door, prepared to spend the rest of her night lying awake and wondering what could have been.

“Wait. Regina,” Emma whispered softly, so quiet that Regina nearly missed it, “do you want this?” she asked, placing a tentative hand on Regina’s waist and searching her eyes with such openness and venerability that Regina froze, taken aback. She analyzed the blonde for a beat, trying to discern whether this was some sort of a trick but found nothing but blatant authenticity in her eyes.

Regina opened her mouth to say “no,” but found the word caught in her throat as the weight of how much she really DID want this washed over her.

Whatever “this” was, anyway.

A few seconds passed and Emma began to slip her hand off Regina’s waist, obviously taking her silence to be a rejection. The brunette’s chest tightened, not wanting whatever they were doing to end yet. Before Emma could fully pull away, Regina grabbed her hand drew her back in sharply, their faces now less than an inch apart.

“I’m…” she started, bowing her head, refusing to make eye contact as she searched for the right words. Concluding that there were none, she took a step back, pulling Emma with her until they were standing in the mansion’s entryway. She shut the door and swallowed thickly, her stomach curling into a ball of anxiety. She pressed her back against the door and slid her arms to the front of Emma’s collar, pulling her body flush against Regina’s.

Emma gave her a small smile and raised a hand to move a stray hair away from the mayor’s face, looking almost shy as she did so. Almost.

She broke eye contact with Regina to stare at her lips, which were gently leaning forward. Regina shivered slightly, feeling the weight of the blonde’s eyes almost as if it were a physical pressure. She finally closed the gap between them, roughly dragging her hands along Emma’s neck and further up until they were tangled in her soft curls. She kneaded them forcefully, causing Emma to emit a moan in surprise. Regina swallowed the sound hungrily, intent on hearing it again.

She arched further toward the blonde, causing the other woman to have to take a step back. Emma brought her arms to Regina’s sides, pushing her until she was once again trapped between the door and the other woman. She felt sparks fire across her spine as she made contact with the cold wood, and bit down hard on Emma’s bottom lip in return. Her teeth weren’t forceful enough to draw blood, but were enough to deliver a delicious sting that only served to spur Emma on.

Digging her hands into Regina’s shirt, she gently caressed the space below her ribs and pulled her even closer. Her fingers felt white-hot against Regina’s midriff, but she still itched for more contact, which Emma was more than happy to provide. She slipped her hands under Regina’s silken shirt, her palms flat against Regina’s darker skin. Her muscles quivered slightly at the contact, and she gripped Emma’s hair tighter in response. She shut her eyes and managed to suppressed the whimper forming in her throat, breathing heavily.

Meanwhile, Emma had moved to attacking her jawline with soft but passionate kisses, tracing it up and down. Regina slammed her head back, further exposing her neck. Emma drew her lips down to her pulse point, and Regina nearly forgot to breathe as she ghosted her mouth over it and then bit down hard, which would probably result in a nasty mark tomorrow.

Regina didn’t really care at this point.

She leaned her head forward into Emma’s blonde mane, inhaling deeply to take in the smell of—

Coffee?

Regina blinked, the weight of Emma’s body on hers fading, replaced with grogginess and a sense of dread. She stared up at her bedroom ceiling.

Shit.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought Emma was a bit OOC in the last chapter but I think I did a lot better with her here. (although that was dream!emma to be fair)
> 
> I know I said weekly uploads, but I found the motivation so here's two uploads in a week wahooo
> 
> Also!! I know this is literally the most overused author statement ever but I really do appreciate all the support! (36 kudos might not be a lot for most people, but it is for me, this is my first fic i've written, so i really expected 0 kudos)

Regina scrutinized the paint on her bedroom ceiling as she attempted to comprehend what had just happened. _You were dreaming._

_It was ONLY a dream._

_It means nothing._

Still, she reached a hand up to touch her lips, as if she could find some trace of Emma on her. Of course, she knew she wouldn’t, but couldn’t help but feel disappointment swell up within her.

As soon as this emotion crossed her mind, she buried it with disgust. The thought of actually WANTING Emma like… that… was both impossible and wrong.

Deciding that there was no use dwelling over it, she sighed and pulled her sheets aside, stepping out of bed to go find where the coffee smell was coming from. She walked downstairs, rubbing her bleary eyes with one hand and tracing the wooden banister with the other.

“Hi Mom!” she heard Henry call out from the kitchen.

Regina felt her face break out into a smile.

“Good morning, sweetie,” she greeted him softly, taking in the scene before her.

Surprisingly, the kitchen was NOT a huge mess (as it usually was after Henry’s unsupervised experiments.) Though he was quite adept at cooking due to Regina’s careful teaching, he took after his birth mother in the fact that he rarely cleaned up afterwards. He must have taken to heart Regina’s most recent lecture, though, because there were no ingredients scattered on the counter (or floor, for that matter. His attempt at pancakes had ended with more batter on various kitchen surfaces than on the stove.) Suffice to say, the morning had been great fun, but Regina had been nearly late to work as she had been busy cleaning up his mess.

She had Henry promise not to make anything else without asking her first.

He grinned sheepishly at her, holding out a mug that was filled to the brim with coffee.

“I thought you’d make an exception for coffee, since it’s not technically cooking… Plus, I cleaned up after,” he said, gesturing to the spotless kitchen behind him.

Regina felt her hands warm as she took the mug from him. Even small actions like this meant everything to her now, as Henry’s absence had made her appreciate them much more.

“Alright, I'll let you off this time,” she told him, taking a grateful sip of coffee, "but only because you put everything back where you found it." She was not surprised to find that the coffee was made perfectly to her standards: vanilla flavored, with a little creamer and no sugar.

“Thank you, Henry,” she added, and watched as he flashed her a grin and turned to step back into the kitchen to make cereal. She was struck by how much he’d grown, both in height and maturity. Pride swelled in her chest, but alongside it was loss. So much time of her life had been wasted in the pursuit of making others miserable, but she had missed being with the one person she cared about most.

Regina took another gulp of coffee, grateful that she would at least get a second chance with him. _I will do better for you_ , she promised Henry silently.

She walked over to the living room to check the clock, which read 7:49 A. M. Regina inhaled deeply, and turned back to her son.

“As much as I appreciate the gesture, I have get ready for work,” she said. Henry looked up at her from his bowl.

“And you, my dear, have school,” she added. Henry groaned and rolled his eyes.

“I know, Mom,” he told her, quickly finishing the rest of his brekfast. He grabbed his backpack from its place on the back of his chair, and ran up the stairs to find his books and homework.

Meanwhile, Regina poured her barely-touched coffee into a thermos with some ice so she could take it to the office.

“Bye, Mom! See you later!” Henry yelled from the entryway, his now-full backpack slung over one shoulder. She gave him a thin smile and waved back, wishing he’d carry his bag on both shoulders to reduce back pain. However, not wanting to nag, she let him go without comment.

The house suddenly felt very cold without his presence. Regina sighed and crossed her arms, heading back upstairs to get ready.

Today was going to be a long day.

\-------------------------

Her thermos had been completely empty for a few hours now, and Regina had been trying to concentrate on her work for just about as long. She really did want to get something done, but paperwork was awfully boring and her thoughts were… anything but.

Her mind kept wandering to her dream from the previous night—

The way Emma’s eyes shined seaglass-green. The way her hands threaded through that blonde hair. How their bodies fit against each other, how Emma touched her…

Not that any of that mattered.

No.

What mattered was finding out why she was having these thoughts in the first place, and then getting rid of them, because they were _really_ distracting. It had been a long day, as she had predicted.

“What are you so happy about?”

Regina was brought out of her trance. Years of experience being a royal had taught her to conceal her emotions, which she was extremely grateful for at this moment. Had she been anyone else, she would have yelped in surprise. Instead, she met the eyes of the woman she had just been fantasizing about and muttered out a cool “Miss Swan,” in greeting.

Emma rolled her eyes. “I thought we were past that, _Madame Mayor_ ,” she retorted, tilting her head.

Regina averted her gaze. “I suppose so. But since when did you care about my happiness?”

She knew she was being overly defensive, but if Emma was hurt, she didn’t show it. Emma shrugged and replied simply with, “Since I’ve seen you try to be… better, yknow?”

Regina let out a small chuckle.

“Eloquent as always, I see. I presume you’re here for a reason, though, and not to just chat?”

“Yeah. I’m kinda dumb,” Emma started to say, digging for something in her jacket.

“Well, if your purpose was to inform me of your incompetence, I’m already very aware,” Regina bit out, raising an eyebrow.

“No I meant—can you let me finish?—I was dumb, and forgot to bring these reports to you,” the blonde corrected hurriedly, placing a stack of manila folders on the Mayor’s desk.

 _As if I could get anything done right now_ , she thought bitterly, eyeing them. “If that’s all, then I’d like to get back to work now.” The other woman’s presence was starting to make her uncomfortable.

Emma shifted awkwardly on her feet. “Well, I was thinking about the arrangement we have,” she said, looking at the floor and turning a shade of pink.

By “the arrangement”, she meant the end result of months of conflict over Henry. They had agreed that Emma would take care of Henry from Saturday to Monday each week. Regina had been reluctant to concede, but the peace that came with the compromise had been very welcome.

Regina tensed at the idea of having to go through that again. She was prepared to fight for her son tooth and nail, even if it was going to be exhausting.

Emma, sensing her worry, revised with “No, I’m not asking to spend more time with Henry,” and rose her hands up in surrender.

“So what could you possibly want, then?” Regina inquired, cursing herself as she realized how similar her current words were to the ones she used in her dream.

“I was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner. I figured it’d be a good idea for us to at least _pretend_ to get along for the kid...”

Regina felt herself soften at Emma’s words. She was right. Henry deserved some sort of semblance of stability, and his mothers fighting all the time was certainly not that.

“Plus—I , uh, could use some help with cooking,” Emma added, her nervousness bleeding through to her words in a way that was sort of endearing. Regina rolled her eyes.

“If only for my— our son’s nutrition, I will be there,” she stated, smirking. Emma met her eyes and answered her with an anxious smile. Regina wondered if she’d ever be tired of seeing that—

Nope. Nope. Nope. Not now.

Regina shut down her thoughts and bowed her head, trying to appear disinterested as she hid her flushed face.

“…So does Sunday night sound ok to you? 9:00?” the blonde asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Regina pretended to check her schedule on her phone to avoid eye contact.

“Yep. All clear,” she replied, making sure her voice was stable and not betraying the knots in her stomach.

“Great,” Emma quipped, jamming her hands in her jean pockets. She opened her mouth to say something else, but must have thought better of it, because she instead stepped gracelessly towards the door to leave. 

Regina was simultaneously relieved and disappointed that their conversation was over, but didn’t dare to look up yet.

After a beat, she heard Emma utter a small “thank you,” from the other side of the room. Regina, surprised, lifted her head. “I mean it. I really appreciate it,” the blonde added, searching the brunette's eyes. Regina felt as though her soul was being scrutinized, and she froze, coming to her senses only after the other woman’s gaze lifted from hers and left the room. 

Sunday night.

Regina had four days to get rid of these thoughts, or there was no way she would survive. (Well, ok, she'd live, but it sure wouldn't be pleasant.) She took a deep breath and picked up her phone, dreading the conversation to come.

She brought up the contact profile of one very specific cricket, and pressed 'call'. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a little late, but!! it's 2k instead of 1k so i hope y'all can forgive me lol  
> also, i'm already half done with the next chapter, so that one should be out on time.

Archie Hopper lived a life of routines. He ate a bowl of oatmeal every morning, got ready, and then walked Pongo around the block before his first appointment. He worked until six p. m. sharp, and then drove home and made a dinner that usually consisted of vegetables and some sort of fruit or jello for dessert. So, it is understandable that he was a little perturbed when he got a call from the infamous Regina Mills.

He nearly dropped his phone after reading the caller ID. The doctor adjusted his glasses and composed himself. Though he was reasonably afraid of the woman, he knew she wouldn’t call without cause. A small voice told him to just ignore it (he certainly didn’t need the extra stress) but his overwhelmingly strong conscious told him to answer. It _was_ his job to help people, and that included the former Evil Queen.

“Hello, Dr. Hopper speaking,” he answered, awkwardly cradling his phone with his shoulder while shuffling the paperwork on his desk.  
“Yes. I’d like to know if you have any sessions available tonight,” Regina told him.  
This confused Archie further.

“Did something happen with Henry? Is he—“

“No.” Regina interrupted sharply, gritting her teeth. God, she hated this.

“No,” she repeated, softer, “this isn’t about him. I’d—I’d like to book an appointment for myself.”

“Oh… Oh!” Archie exclaimed in realization. “Well, I will see what I have,” he said, thinking better of applauding her on her decision. She’d probably find it patronizing, anyway. He took his agenda book off his neatly organized desk, flipping through the pages.

“Well?” Regina snapped. Archie frowned at her impatience.

“It seems my next available appointment is tomorrow at 2:30. Does that work for you?”

She paused for a second, disappointed. She’d wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

“Yes, that’s perfect,” she exhaled.

“Alrighty. See you then, Regina.”

She muttered a quick goodbye, wincing at the flippant use of her first name.

At least their interaction was over. There was little Regina disliked more than having to rely on others. Sure, she had no trouble demanding things, but asking for help was a whole different story. This reluctance was probably due to internalizing her mother’s insistence that doing so was weakness.

Though, to be fair, most things that Regina did were viewed as weak under her mother’s scrutinizing eyes. What could be expected from a woman with no heart? Certainly not empathy or understanding. Only a list of rigid standards that were used to shape her into the person Cora expected, or break her trying.

At least she had Zelena. Though the two of them were far from typical sisters, they were on amicable terms for the most part. They had hated each other’s guts at first, but had bonded over their pasts of being terrible people and the fact that their mother had been a complete asshole.

Misery loves company, and apparently so does evil.

Since she wouldn’t be able to go to therapy tonight, she decided she’d call Zelena to go out instead (which was basically the next best thing.) She had arranged for Henry to stay at Mary Margret’s tonight anyway. Though she hadn’t wanted to, she recognized that denying her a part in Henry’s life would only serve to push him away.

But going home didn’t sound very appealing, and thinking about sitting in that hollow house with nothing but her thoughts put a sour taste in her mouth. It was loneliness, a flavor she’d grown far too accustomed to.  
So she called her sister.

* * *

Regina was on her second shot when she saw a familiar head of orange make its way across the room.

“Why are you so late? It’s been ten minutes,” she sulked, glaring at the other woman.

“Well hello to you too, dear!” Zelena greeted her cheerfully, ignoring her sister’s bitterness.

Regina rolled her eyes and threw back the rest of her shot, grimacing as the low-quality alcohol burned her throat on the way down. Normally, she wouldn’t be caught dead at the Rabbit Hole OR drinking during the week, but it had been Zelena’s turn to pick their meeting place and she currently didn’t feel like facing herself sober. So she made an exception on both fronts. (She suspected that Zelena had only brought her here to her to annoy her, but she was desperate for company, so it didn’t really bother her at this point.)

“It’s been a long day,” she shrugged halfheartedly, placing her glass back on the table and casting her eyes down.

Zelena only hummed in acknowledgement, studying her. She decided not to push the subject yet, and instead flagged down the bartender to order a drink of her own.

Regina stared off into the distance, watching the various constituents interact as the shot warmed her insides. She heard a laugh echo loudly, and turned her head to find its source. Mulan had an arm wrapped loosely around Aurora’s waist, her face beaming as she drunkenly giggled at something the other woman had said. They were looking at each other so tenderly that Regina felt that she was somehow intruding, so she turned back to her drink, processing what she had just seen.  
She had never thought they’d end up together, but then again, she didn’t know either of them very well at all. _At least they’re getting their happy ending._

 _Though, heroes always do,_ she mused bitterly.

“Envy is not good look on you,” Zelena commented, eyeing her face slyly. “you know that’s my thing, not yours, right?”

Regina scoffed. “I am NOT jealous of two drunk lesbians,” she retorted, facing the redhead beside her.

Zelena raised an eyebrow. 

“Are you really going to deny it?”

“If you are implying that I am interested in either of them--” she said, vaguely gesturing to the two women across the room. Zelena only laughed condescendingly.

“No, I don’t think that they’re your type. You have a thing for blondes, right?”

Regina tensed, her throat constricting. Did Zelena somehow know about her feelings toward Emma? She hadn’t even been aware of them herself until today, but maybe it was obvious to everyone else _. Oh god, who else knows? What if—_

“You and Maleficent,” Zelena stated simply, taking a large sip from her cocktail.

Regina relaxed, releasing the tension in her shoulders. Right. Her ex.

“Yeah,” she agreed curtly, giving her sister a weak smile and downing another shot, wishing her heartbeat would steady. She hadn’t planned on getting drunk on a weekday, but she decided she’d make an exception. Regina needed a break.

Zelena eyed her curiously.

“…Is there someone new?”

Regina coughed on the alcohol running down her throat, turning a shade of red.

“N—“ _(cough)_ “No,” she sputtered out, avoiding Zelena’s eyes.

Zelena’s eyes flashed mischievously, the gears in her brain turning.

“Emma?” she inquired, studying Regina’s face, who was too mortified to respond. “I won’t tell anyone, you know,” she said, grinning in a way that was meant to be reassuring but failed by miles.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Regina muttered, trying to keep herself composed.

“Bloody hell! I dunno why I hadn’t seen it sooner!” the redhead exclaimed, (a bit too loudly for Regina’s tastes.)

 _It was a mistake coming here_ , she thought, sighing and rubbing a hand over her face.

“If you don’t shut up, I will shove a fireball down your throat,” Regina hissed, hoping her sister would just drop the subject.

“Oooookay, okay,” the redhead conceded, brushing off Regina’s threat with mild annoyance. She knew the brunette wouldn’t follow through. “You really don’t need to push me away, you know. I’m not out to destroy you,” Zelena told her. “Anymore,” she amended, downing the rest of her drink. “but if you persist on threatening me, I might consider it again.”

Regina only rolled her eyes at that. She, too, no longer took her sister’s threats seriously. 

“Right. Like I trusted you in the first place.”

Zelena sighed dramatically. “Why can’t I just be here for you, as a sister?” she pouted.  
  


“Half-sister,” Regina corrected. She knew she was being petty, but she was too drunk to care.  
Zelena just shrugged, apparently also too drunk to care. “At the very least, I’d like to see this play out. It’ll sure as hell be entertaining,” the redhead said, grinning wolfishly.

Regina scoffed. “Great. I’m glad my romantic life is some sort of show to you,” she retorted dryly.

“No, not like that, silly,” Zelena amended. “I just meant—well, think about it. The former Evil Queen and the Savior? Now THAT’S one legendary love st-”

“No one said anything about love,” Regina interrupted, suddenly uneasy. “Besides, I don’t even know if she’s into women,” the brunette added softly, shifting in her seat.

Zelena let out a barking laugh. “Really? And I thought you were the Evil Queen, not the Blind Witch. Have you _seen_ the way she dresses?”

Regina blinked and frowned slightly. Emma did dress like a stereotypical lesbian: beanies, flannels, and that damned leather jacket that brought out the color of her eyes…

But that didn’t mean she was DEFINITELY attracted to women, and it especially didn’t mean she was into Regina. Right?

Regina didn’t dare to hope.

“Really, dear, it’s quite sad that I have better gaydar than you,” Zelena snorted, apparently finding the whole ideal very hilarious. Or maybe she was just intoxicated. Either way, Regina didn’t share the sentiment.

“There’s really no reason I should expect anything to come of this,” she explained, gesturing vaguely. “ I’m not one to be an optimist, you know,” the brunette confessed.  
Zelena hummed in agreement. Neither was she. However, Zelena hoped for the best on her sister’s behalf, because she knew Regina wouldn’t do so for herself.

* * *

“… anyway, we should probably call someone, ‘less you plan on walking,” Regina drawled, glancing at the clock. “it’s nearly midnight,” she informed the redhead beside her, who was slumped over the table.

“Mkay,” she agreed, not bothering to move.

Regina pulled out her phone, mistyping her password several times before finally unlocking it. She scrolled through her contacts, not exactly sure who she was looking for. She sighed, pausing when she came upon Emma’s profile. Emma was probably the only other person who would answer at such a late hour. The small number in people in town even willing to consider helping her were probably asleep, but she knew that Emma (like her,) was a bit of an insomniac.

Regina’s fingers hovered over the ‘call’ button.

She felt her stomach curl up with anxiety as she thought about the woman. She was drunk, and she didn’t want to do something she’d regret. It didn’t seem like she had any other options, though.

She steadied her mind and, swallowing her pride, brought her phone up to her ear.

* * *

Emma was doing what she did best.

Running.

And not in the whole symbolic ‘I need to get away from my problems’ bullshit, either. She’d like to think she’d worked through all that.

No, Emma was making her eleventh lap around the block near her apartment. It had become a habit after she had moved into her new place—though it gave her more space, it felt a little empty without David and Mary Margret, her former roommates (…and parents.) She had gotten used to spending her spare time with them, but now filled that gap with physical activity. It came naturally to her. During her time in foster care, she ran around the neighborhood, oftentimes to avoid the fighting going on in the various homes she lived in. As a result, she had become quite good at it—though she never stayed in a school long enough to utilize her skill by joining a track team or running club.

The night was peaceful, the shadows contorting around her in a way that was familiar and almost comforting. She pushed forward, enjoying the cool autumn air against her skin and the burn of her muscles straining.

She felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Halting to a stop, she wiped the sweat off her forehead with one hand and pulling her phone out of her pocket with the other.

“Hello,” she said, not bothering to check the caller ID.

“Emma,” she heard a familiar voice slur.

“Regina?” Emma asked incredulously, not trusting her ears. _Why is she calling so late? Was she in some sort of danger?_ She felt her chest tense up, her mind reeling.

“Yes, Sheriff, it’s me,” Regina told her in a monotone voice, trying to keep the alcohol from affecting her. “I need you to pick me and my sister up… if you can’t tell, I’m not exactly fit to drive,” the brunette admitted, trailing off at the end of her sentence. She winced slightly at her wording, but was too tired to revise it.

“Why can’t you just… I dunno, magic yourself home?” Emma retorted, suddenly suspicious. Regina wasn’t one to ask for help, especially from her.

She heard Regina give an exasperated sigh. At this point, Emma could practically see the brunette rolling her eyes at the question.

“No, I can’t just ‘magic myself’ somewhere right now. Alcohol and magic don’t mix well,” she informed her, wishing she hadn’t called. Emma obviously didn’t want to help her, and Regina didn’t blame her. She was an awful person, after all.

Before her thoughts could collapse into a drunken self-hating spiral, however, she heard Emma utter a simple “okay.”

“Okay?” Regina echoed in surprise. She was still half convinced that Emma was just joking, and wasn’t actually planning on showing up.

“Yeah, okay. Where are you?”

“Rabbit Hole,” she mumbled regrettably.

“I’ll be there in five,” Emma confirmed, starting to pace slowly back toward her apartment.

“Oh, and one last thing, Miss Swan,” Regina bit out, trying to regain some air of superiority.  
“…yes?” Emma asked, smirking a little at the other woman’s use of her last name. She’d been annoyed with the title at first, but it had grown on her. It didn’t seem so bad coming from Regina now…

“Take the police cruiser. I don’t want to be seen within a mile of that atrocious yellow bug of yours.”

“You’re welcome,” Emma said dryly, then promptly hung up the phone and laughed. Making demands even when she was accepting a favor was so like Regina.

Emma pocketed her phone and unlocked her apartment door, feeling strangely apprehensive.


End file.
